Hillary Clinton is famously -- almost authentically -- inauthentic. She exudes aloof phoniness in nearly every facet of her public life. And this might be her least authentic gambit yet. Meet Hillary Clinton, post-partisan healer, or something. As you watch, keep in mind that she had ripped "Republican propaganda" less than 30 minutes earlier from the same stage:
If you think you've heard this exact spiel before, you have. Barack Obama made this red/blue/United refrain famous at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, where his star was officially launched. And he's been using the disingenuous "I only want the best ideas, regardless of where they come from" line throughout his presidency -- all while doggedly pursuing his agenda, while eschewing and demonizing dissenting voices. Hillary acts as a poor man's Obama here, yearning for grand nonpartisan unity. To call it ludicrously unconvincing would be an understatement. This woman has been an intense partisan throughout her entire career. This woman blamed the fallout from her husband's improprieties and subsequent cover-up on a "vast right-wing conspiracy." This woman has attempted to pin her wholly self-inflicted email scandal on the Republicans. This woman listed the GOP, alongside Iran's terrorist regime, as an "enemy" of which she's proud at a presidential debate. This woman compared pro-life Americans, half the country, to ISIS and Al Qaeda. Let's be the American team. You first, lady. In another campaign speech, she mocked Donald Trump's vague job creation plan:
A few problems: (1) Donald Trump can turn right around and ask how many jobs she has created in her entire life, which has been spent preparing for, and living out, a relentlessly political existence. Aside from chauffeurs, private jet pilots, and email server installers, not too many. Easy counterpunch for him. Love him or hate him, and even counting his business failures, he's created many thousands of jobs over the years. (2) Her jobs "plan" is Bill Clinton. Saying that she'll put her husband in charge of one of the two most important elements of her duties is an interesting move. Sure, Bill enjoys strong popularity, and presidency is seen as an economic success. Setting aside his policies that aggressively pumped air into the subprime mortgage bubble that finally popped almost eight years after he left office, Clinton's economic successes were shared by the Republican Congress with whom he cooperated and compromised. The Clintons' party has shifted so hard to the left since the late 1990's that they've been forced to repudiate large swaths of his agenda, including welfare reform and free trade. What worked for Clinton is now verboten by the left-wing ideologues that dominate the party. (3) Moving beyond her poorly-delivered and not especially funny laugh lines, does anyone know what her economic vision actually is?
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